Antalya Piano festival opens with Fazıl Say premiere

ANTALYA

Organized by the Antalya Metrocity Municipality and with Fazıl Say as the art director, the festival will host Grammy awarded virtuoso Michel Camilo and other famous names from the music world.

The International Antalya Piano Festival bringing together world famous artists and groups starts on Nov. 8 and will continue through the end of Nov. 30. Organized by the Antalya Metrocity Municipality and with Fazıl Say as the art director, the festival will host Grammy awarded virtuoso Michel Camilo and other famous names from the music world such as Vladimir Spivakov, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. The world premiere of “Anadolu’ dan Sahneler” (Scenes from Anatolia) composed by Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu upon request from the piano festival organizers will take place as well. Michel Camilo’s piece “Piano Concerto No. 1″ will also be performed for the first time in Turkey. This year the festival will also offer public concerts free of charge and workshops bringing students and artists together. With its slogan “Music in the City,” music lovers will experience an extraordinary feast of music at the 14th anniversary of this festival.

At the opening concert of this year’s festival composer and pianist Fazıl Say’s new piece, the piano concerto “Su” (Water) which had its world premiere in Switzerland will be performed for the first time in Turkey. As the artist’s 10 different pieces which he called “İlk Şarkılar” (First Songs) are presented to the audience, Say’s piano performance will be accompanied by soloist Serenad Bağcan. The opening concerts featuring Fazıl Say’s performances will take place on Nov. 8 and 9 at the Antalya Cultural Centre.

Following the opening concerts the duo Gergely Bogányi and Gábor Boldoczki will meet with music enthusiasts at the festival. The two musicians will play a repertoire consisting of pieces from Wilhelm Brandt, F.Chopin, Oskar Böhme, Standley Friedman, R. Wagner, F. Liszt, George Enescu and Frigyes Hidas on Nov. 12.

One of the other names performing at the festival, Meral Güneyman, will present the audience with Tango, Milonga, Waltz and Flamenco.

Artists of this year’s festival also include the talented pianist twins Ferhan & Ferzan Önder and the Borusan Quartet. The twin sisters who live in Vienna launched their album “1001 nights” after the 9/11 attacks in order to influence the West’s view of the East with music and conquered the attention of the whole world will also succeed at pleasantly surprising the audience during this concert. The performance of the piece “Edirne to Kars” composed by Aleksey Igudesman who is internationally known as a classical music comedian and violinist, will be one of the highlights of the event.

Young talents at the festival

Also this year, the festival continues to host young and successful talents on its stage. Young pianists will meet audiences with their strong performances at the “Young Talents” concert which is held traditionally every year in memory of late pianist Kâmuran Gündemir (1933-2006) who taught many artists in Turkey. The young soloists performing this year are Varvara Kutuzova, İzem Gürer, Elif Işıl Karakaş and Beste Tanağardıgil. The young talents will be on the stage on Nov. 17 at the Antalya Cultural Centre.

The regular orchestra of the Antalya Piano Festival, the Moscow Virtuosi who perform the closing concert of the event every year break the tradition this year and meet art enthusiasts during the festival. The Moscow Virtuosi, who are well known for the quality of their art and regarded as one of the world’s most important chamber orchestras, will be led by conductor Vladimir Spivakov. One of the other names at the festival, Swiss pianist and composer Werner Bärtschi will interpret and perform pieces from Beethoven, Franz Liszt and Othmar Schoeck as well as his own compositions. One of the other concerts at the festival will be given by singer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. She will interpret Aşık Veysel’s (famous Turkish folk poet) piece of art “Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım” (The Day and Night). The concert is scheduled for Nov. 24.

The Festival closes with Michel Camilo

This year the festival will close with an outstanding concert performed by internationally renowned Latin jazz pianist and composer Michel Camilo on Nov 30. At the closing concert, the Turkey premier of Camilo’s new composition ‘Piano Concerto No.1′ will take place. In addition, Camilo will also interpret G. Gershwin’s work “Rhapsody in Blue” at this concert. Michel Camilo, who has also composed for soundtracks for films such as “Amo Tu Cama Rica” and “Los Peores Años de Nuestra Vida” besides his concerts on various stages around the world, will perform for the first time with an orchestra in Turkey.

The artist will be accompanied on that evening by the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Gürer Aykal.